Personal Injury Solicitors
Chard

Personal injury claims help and support

If your life has been affected by illness or injury, we are here to help.

Whether you were injured as the result of a negligent road user, employer or anyone else, you may be able to claim financial compensation.

Every year, we help injured people in Chard, Somerset and across the UK get compensation for their injuries, loss of earnings and any other losses.

How were you injured?

There are several steps involved in making an injury claim. The steps involved will depend on how and where you were injured.

For more information, see:

Work
accidents

Road
accidents

Public
places

Medical
negligence

Other
accidents

Am I entitled to make a personal injury claim?

The basic criteria for making a claim are that the injury must have occurred:

• within the last three years, and;
• another person was at least partly to blame, and;
• that person owed you a duty of care.

Is there anything else that can affect my eligibility to claim?

Yes. In practice, various other factors can affect whether a successful no win, no fee claim will be possible, such as the accident circumstances or whether a child was injured.

If you would like to find out if you have a claim, speak to us now on 0800 376 1001. You can also find out if you have a claim with our Injury Claim Checker.

Can I claim compensation on behalf of a child?

Claimants who were injured as a child have until their 21st birthday to make a claim on their own behalf. If you are the parent or guardian of an injured child, you can start a claim on their behalf.

Read more:

Claim child injury compensation

How much compensation can I claim for an injury?

The amount of money you could claim for your injury will depend on:

• the extent of your injury, and
• any financial losses or costs you have incurred.

At the start of your claim, your solicitor will consider the many ways your injury has affected your life. Your solicitor will take all of these effects into account to calculate the correct compensation award for you.

General damages

General damages are awarded for pain, suffering and loss of amenity (PSLA).

Awards for general damages are set by the Judicial College and published in their guidelines for personal injury awards.

Special damages

Special damages are for financial losses and expenses you have incurred as a result of the accident.

What can I claim for after an injury? (see list)

Examples of special damages (losses you can claim for) include:

• Lost earnings (including future earnings)
• Medical treatment costs
• Physiotherapy
• Travel costs
• Costs of care
• Costs of adapting your home or car

Calculate my injury compensation

Calculating how much compensation you can claim for an injury can be complicated.

Our injury compensation calculator tells you if you may have a claim, how much compensation you could claim, and what you can claim for.

Find out what your injury claim could be worth now:

Claim compensation for a serious injury

Catastrophic injuries that involve long-term treatment and recovery, or have a debilitating impact on your life, include spinal and skull fractures, complex fractures and serious head trauma, but could also include other illnesses and injuries such as loss of sight, cancer and back injuries.

We know how important a successful serious injury claim will be. Compensation will help to reduce the financial burden, and your specialist catastrophic injury solicitor will also liaise with insurers and care professionals, so you can focus on your recovery.

Read more:

Serious and catastrophic injury compensation

Will I need to meet my solicitor face to face?

Personal injury claims are conducted remotely. This means you won't have to travel to your solicitor's office when making a claim.

You can talk to a legally-trained advisor about your accident or injury, before you choose to start a claim.

If you decide to start a claim, you will speak to a specialist solicitor. Your solicitor will always be available to answer any questions, and they will keep you updated every step of the way.

How we can help you

Your solicitor will fight for the best possible compensation settlement for you, and the highly-experienced panel of solicitors have an excellent track record of winning injury claims in Chard and cross the UK.

• FREE
  consultation
• Find out
  if you can claim
• No obligation
  to start a claim

Frequently asked questions

Has Quittance helped many claimants in Chard?

Whether you live in Chard, Somerset or elsewhere, we can help you to make no win, no fee injury claim.

Whether your injury occurred at your place of work, in a car or bike accident or due to a negligent diagnosis our team will make sure your claim is handled by a specialist injury solicitor.

Does Quittance offer 100% No Win, No Fee

If your claim is not successful, our No Win, No Fee policy covers 100% of your legal fees. This means that there is no financial risk in making a claim.

Chard personal injury solicitor reviews

All injury lawyers must meet strict professional standards, service levels can vary. Online reviews and recommendations from friends and family will make it easier choose the best solicitor for your needs.

Read more:

Personal injury lawyer reviews

Can I claim for someone else?

Yes. It is possible to claim compensation on behalf of another person, in the capacity of a 'litigation friend'.

If, for example, an injured person is either too young or vulnerable, too injured or otherwise unable to claim on their own behalf, their litigation friend can handle the claim process for them.

The litigation friend will be responsible for communicating with the personal injury solicitors, and for making decisions in respect of the claim.

Read more:

Read more about claiming on behalf of another person.

Can I claim if I was partly to blame?

Even if you feel you were partly responsible for your accident, you may still be able to claim compensation.

You may also still be able to claim if something you did (or failed to do) meant your injuries were more serious than they might have otherwise been (e.g. you were knocked off your bike, but you weren't wearing a helmet).

If you were partly to blame, this is known as contributory negligence. Successful claims are often made on the basis of contributory negligence, although compensation may be reduced.

Read more:

Claiming compensation if you were partly responsible for an accident.

How long will my claim take?

The time needed to resolve a compensation claim and pay out compensation can vary considerably.

For example, straightforward car accident claims can settle in a matter of weeks, whereas complex medical negligence cases can sometimes take years.

Injury claims can also take longer if it is not clear who is responsible for your injury, or if liability is denied by the defendant.

This table sets out approximately how long personal injury claims take to settle:

Read more about how long personal injury claims take.

Will I have to go to court?

The vast majority of claims that are settled by the solicitor panel are settled out of court.

Only a very small percentage (approx. 2%) of personal injury claims go to court - typically only very complex cases, or those where liability cannot be resolved.

Read more:

Will my injury claim go to court and what if it does?

Can I get an early (interim) compensation payment?

If you suffer financial hardship as a result of an injury, you may be able to claim an interim compensation payment.

An interim payment is a partial settlement of your claim which is paid out to you before your claim is concluded. The amount you receive in interim payments would then be deducted from your final compensation settlement or award.

Read more:

Can I get interim compensation payments?

Author:
Paul Carvis, Personal injury solicitor

About the author

Paul is a member of the Law Society Personal Injury Panel, a member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, and has served as a Deputy District Judge, giving him a uniquely broad understanding of the claims process.